plains to e east coast. trapped overnight in quicksand. how one hiker was able to get out alive. the american woman who fled the u.s. to become an isis bride. her desperate new plea from syria. and why one of the greatest photos of the greatest generation is in the news tonight. good evening, everyone. new developments tonight in a story of celebrity and a new deeply questioned encounter that has stoked some of this country s most sensitive racial and political flash points. at its center tv actor jussie smollett. police sourcesay two brothers they questioned and released told police they were paid by the empire star to fake an attae on him last month on th streets of chicago. nbc s miguel almaguer has been following the story. reporter: tonight after ip mu requests, jussie smollett s attorneys say he will not speak with investigators today. this after two brothers ola and abel osundairo captured in this surveillance photo told iv dete they were hired by the actor
good evening. empire actor jussie smollett is sticking to his story, claiming he was the victim of a racist homophobic assault. but two brothers are telling a story that s different from what smollett reported to police. reporter: a celebrated young actor. a friend that was assaulted and battered. he s rsupposed to be well-known reporter: but was it staged? authorities are now investigating that very question. four weeks after empire star, jussie smollett described a racist, homophobic attack. i see the attacker masked and he said this maga count country punches me in the face. i note this is rope around my neck and i started screaming. saying there s a how do you not believe that? it s the truth. reporter: after divs arrested two nigerian brothers, identified as ola and ab abel osundario. they were released friday after the brothers told police they bought the rope at a nearby hardware store and participated in the attack at smollett s request. smollett a
tomorrow. into the middle of the week shower potential will return. no major hot spots. bay bridge wb 80 is less then 30 min from the maze to sf. ( darya ) breaking news from overnight. a napa county sheriff s deputy fataly shoots a man with a gun. it happened around 11:00 last night on the 11-hundred block of henry road. officers patrolling the area contaced a driver and there was an altercation. the driver had a gun and the deputy opened fire. we have a crew on the way to the scene and will get a live report as soon as they arrive. ( darya ) lanes continue to be closed on state route-37 between atherton avenue & 101 in novato because of severe flooding. crews are still working on emergency levee repairs. work is being done 24 hours a day . until it is complete and weather permitting. crews first began by building a road to access the levee break and are now working on the break itself. marin county declared a state of emergency because of the damage from last week s storms.
describing the chaos this morning. lifesaver caught on camera. the moment this man suffers a heart attack, found lying in the snow. the hero who stepped in to save his life. and slam-dunk. the nba s top talent showcasing their skills. how do you like this shaq attack? battling it out ahead of the all-star game to see who is king of the court with the curry brothers raising the stakes. and good morning, everybody. we re going to start here with the major new developments overnight in the alleged attack reported by jussie smollett. police say they urgently want to speak with the empire star. sources telling abc news police are investigating if the actor made up the whole story. all of this as officials say new information from the brothers who were interrogated in the case shifted the trajectory of their investigation. abc s erielle reshef joins us with smollett s reaction to all of this. erielle, good morning. reporter: good morning. smollett is doubling down o
empire actor jussie smollett is sticking to his story, claiming he was the victim of a racist and homophobic assault last month. but now, two nigerian brothers who police arrested and then released without charging them, are telling authorities a story that is different than what smollett reported to police. tony dokoupil has more. reporter: a celebrated young actor. reporter: a heinous crime. but was it staged? according to a chicago police source, authorities are now investigating that very question. just four weeks after empire star jussie smollett first described a racist homophobic attack that shocked the country. i seen the attacker masked and he said, this is maga country, ( bleep ), and punches me right in the face. reporter: and just days after smollett went public with new details. i noticed the rope around my neck and i started screaming. and i said, there s a ( bleep ) rope around my neck. reporter: saying he was pissed off that some people di